The Hit (Team Zulu 1)

Cameron hissed, and I turned to find her balancing on her good foot without letting go of the sofa.

I moved to her side and didn’t give her the chance to refuse my help. “Here, lean on me.” Grabbing her around the torso with one arm, I hoisted her clear off the floor and carried her down the hallway. She seemed too stunned to fight me over it, thank Christ.

I eased her onto a wooden chair in the corner of the bathroom.

“I could’ve made it here myself,” she grumbled.

“A simple thank you would’ve done the trick.” Didn’t expect she’d utter those words anytime soon.

Her eyes darted from the timber-lined walls to the clawfoot bath and through the large clear window behind it. Curtains were unnecessary when you had mountain views and no neighbors.

I began filling the tub, then rummaged through the bathroom cabinet for supplies. Once I’d found what I needed, I laid out soap, a washcloth, and a clean towel at the small stool next to the bath.

Cameron folded her arms and glared at me as if I’d just kicked a dent in that shiny black Camaro of hers.

“What?” I asked, resting my hands on my hips and stifling a groan. “If you don’t scrub that dirt off, your cuts will get infected, simple as that.” I wasn’t fucking around here. She was a scratched-up mess and needed to get clean.

She sat up straight and pushed her shoulders back. “I don’t need to soak in a tub to clean my cuts. A damp cloth will be fine. I can wipe down at the sink.”

I took a hand mirror from the cabinet drawer.

“Look at yourself. You’re filthy from head to toe.”

She recoiled at her reflection. Her fingertips lingered over her dirt-covered cheeks, then traveled down the grazes and filth on her neck. Fresh and dried blood clotted at her temple and in her matted hair. The rest of her wasn’t much better.

She sighed. “Fine. I’ll take a bath.”

An uncomfortable tension filled the room while we waited for the water level to rise. After turning off the taps, we stared at each other in silence. I should give her privacy, but after all the shit she’d pulled, I wouldn’t put it past her to smash the window and climb through the damn thing if I left her on her own.

Cameron scowled and pointed to the door. “You can go on and leave now. I’ve been bathing myself since I can remember. I don’t need any help.”

I folded my arms across my chest. “Can’t do that. You’re a flight risk.”

“I can’t walk. How the hell am I going to run out of here?”

“You might be faking how bad that ankle is. Can’t blame me for not trusting you. You’ve been a goddamn handful from the get-go. Get in the bath, and I’ll keep my back turned until you’re decent again.” I moved to the doorway and faced the hall.

“Promise you won’t turn around?” Her nervous tone made my throat tighten. Troublesome as it was, I think I preferred the fearless woman she’d been earlier.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and focused on the floor. “Yes, I promise. Whatever you think I am, I’m not a rapist. So you can get on with it already.”

Behind me, the chair scraped along the floor. A moment later the bathwater sloshed followed by a deep sigh. I tried to ignore it and the fact it made me want to go back on the pledge I made seconds ago.

“You okay in there?” I asked.

“I’m fine. Don’t you dare turn around!” she snapped.

Raising my hands in the air, I maintained my eyes-ahead stance.

The silence in the cabin was something I appreciated, but for once I wished there were other noises to distract me from the sounds of Cameron bathing.

I tried, I really fucking tried not to think of her naked and wet in that tub, but I was only human.

And a complete asshole.